Dark Sand
by Soulfirestory
Summary: Hideous creatures with yellow eyes invade cities. The world is slowly enshrouded in darkness. The prince is forced to unlock the sands of time. Crossover with Kingdom Hearts and Prince of Persia with many OCs. However, the setting is in Prince of Persia.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own _Kingdom Hearts _or _Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. _I haven't played the rest yet, because I just started. I think it is a shame that there are only 22 pages at the _Prince of Persia_ fanfiction section. The video game has a good plot and people seem to fail to acknowledge it. Unless something disapproving happened in the _Prince of Persia_ later series, I don't know. From _Prince of Persia I_, I think it has a good plot. Finally, let's get the story started; skip the PS2 controller keys and notes if you want. They are all a game system I created and was inspired by the games.

_Prologue…_

**Key Reference/ Language:**

**( and ) at the same time**

**[ and a specific key**

**CAPS a specific action**

Scarlet Controls

[Left Analog Stick CHARACTER MOVEMENT

[Right Analog Stick CAMERA CONTROL

[X JUMP, CLIMB TO LEDGE, BAR, EDGE

[X + (Press [X again at peak of jump [Left Analog Stick) AERIAL DODGE

[Square SLASH WITH SCIMITAR

Tap [Square SCIMITAR SLASH COMBO

[Triangle ROLL, RELEASE FROM LEDGE, BAR, EDGE

JUMP + (Hold [Circle [Left Analog stick) GLIDE

AERIAL DODGE + (Hold [Circle [Left Analog stick) FAR GLIDE

[R1 PULL/PUSH SWITCHES, DRINK WATER, GUARD

[R2 1ST PERSON VIEW

[L1 + either [Circle[Square[Triangle CAST MAGIC

[L2 LANDSCAPE VIEW

_Cast Magic: _

[L1 [Square FIRE RING (FIRAGA)

[L1 [Triangle SHOCKWAVE (THUNDAGA)

[L1 [Circle BARRIER (AEROGA)

_On Screen:_

Health Bar and Mana Bar

Mana Bar refills if either character drinks water, so don't hesitate to use magic! Fountains are everywhere so mana points can easily be regained.

_Party Member Control:_

Directional Pad Up SWITCH CHARACTER

Directional Pad Left PROTECT LEAH, when surrounded becomes GUARD

[Directional Pad Right FIGHT WISELY

[Directional Pad Down FINISHING MOVE

Note that:

1) Scarlet is a keyblade master so she does not need a sword carrier. She can summon and dismiss her keyblade at her own will. When there are no enemies, the keyblade disappears itself but appears again when there are enemies.

2) Scarlet can jump very high.

3) For the two characters, Scarlet and Jihad, players can unleash different combat techniques as they fight. For this I will keep quiet. The players will have to find out for themselves like most video games. For example, in _Kingdom Hearts_ fire-slash was not taught. Players discovered the technique simply by going up to an enemy, jump and cast fire. In _Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time_, wall jumping over enemy and then slashing them was not taught either. Players discovered the technique themselves.

_Now the story starts…_

Suddenly the city gate was smashed down by a hoard of black bodied and yellow-eyed creatures. The citizens were evacuated. Soldiers, mercenaries and many fighters of different types challenged them. The king and queen were among them, but the young brave female swordsman in brilliant red was the most outstanding. War began between the heartless and humans. The challengers were able to hold the heartless off while the magicians arrived. The magicians closed their palms together and moved their arms in circles. Together, they chanted an ancient spell. A huge semicircle of light surrounded them; the light expanded and eliminated the heartless while doing so.

Suddenly the light stopped expanding.

"What is going on? We got everything right," a magician said.

"Concentrate! We must not back down so easily!" the magician leader says.

Dark clouds enshrouded the sky. A giant heartless is approaching. The brave, young, female warrior in brilliant red felt something warm and glowing in her grasp. She looked at her sword and watched it transformed into a keyblade. That doesn't matter; taking care of the giant heartless now is the most significant.

The defenders fall one by one. Others joined to help. Buildings and structures were destroyed.

"That's it!" the young, female warrior in brilliant red says to herself.

The warrior climbed and jumped from broken ruins to another. The giant beast tried its best to smack her away like an annoying fly. She found an opening and jumped on the giant heartless' head. She plunged her sword into the symbol on the huge monster's head. The monster screamed; it tried to shake her off. The young female warrior hung on to its horns and fur. She left her sword on the monster's head. The sword opened a gap with huge bright light that also expands. The young warrior uses her amazing flexibility in midair lands next to her sword. She falls into the gap of light she created and slashes in frenzy inside the beast. Finally the beast exploded. The young female warrior fell out from a certain height, but absorbed the impact as she rolled to recover herself.

The semicircle of light the magicians were working on expanded. The defenders cheered in the area, but stopped when King Solomon came forward. The brave, young female warrior in brilliant red bowed.

"Father, I am sorry, I shouldn't have escaped from the castle and—

King Solomon raised his hand in a halt.

"The shield won't stay for long. Listen to me, Scarlet. You are the chosen bearer of the keyblade. Please, seal this world's keyhole and save the universe!"

"Father, what are you talking about?"

"Our ancestors have been keyblade bearers, chosen ones to save the universe! They are from a different world, traveled to different worlds, fought evil and made friends. One of your great grandfathers is a chosen keyblade bearer. He was married to a princess in our kingdom. From then on, the descendents of Akkad had the possibility of being the keyblade's chosen one."

King Solomon took his necklace off and pulled off the tiny chains that held the goblet around his neck. King Solomon grasped the goblet above his daughter and broke the goblet with his strong grip.

The remains of the goblet turned into a bright dust and surrounded Scarlet. The dust soaked into her skin and into her body. Scarlet felt a strange sensation.

"This is a special dust passed on to generations; it allows the granted individual to glide, not fly, once sprinkled on them. Don't try to go to places that are higher than your jump; you wouldn't reach it. Now go! Seal this world's keyhole so this world will not be swallowed in darkness! There is not much time!"

Princess Scarlet was confused. She ran, looked back for a few seconds but continued on.

A beam of light sprang from Scarlet's keyblade. The light pointed in the direction of Persia. Unfortunately, she is oblivious of what awaits her.

_While in the palace of Persia…_

Unfortunately, the King of Persia was off to an important meeting that is out of the kingdom. The duties were left for Queen Farah. The children of the couple are her support but one day…

All the palace guardsman and defenders are defeated. Even the innocent are slain without mercy. Blood splattered the walls of the king's meeting hall.

"Plunge that dagger into the sand of time! Or your mother dies!" the hooded man shouted. Farah screamed. He held a knife at the queen's neck.

"No, Jihad. Don't!" Farah screamed.

The hooded man slit a little of the queen's neck.

"Open it!" the hooded man yelled.

Jihad had no choice; he aimed shakily at the lock of the sand glass. Leah gripped Jihad's arm to stop him.

"Are you mad? Father and mother told us the story. Like father said: Hell would break lose! Mother will choose to die instead of you doing this."

Farah looked away from her son in tears. Jihad held the time dagger tightly in anxiety.

The hooded man slit the throat of Queen Farah.

"Mother!" Leah caught her.

Jihad stared at the scene and froze; his legs would not move from his position. He looked around in frenzy and gripped the dagger of time tightly. The old man tried to take the dagger away from him; Jihad fought. Words sped his mind like a maniac.

"_Everyone was dead. Father would become insane when he knows. I would be accused of being irresponsible, incapable and…I would let father down again. I should have slain the suspicious man in the desert. If everything rewinds… Would I make up for what I had done? I am going to gamble." _

Reality came back. Jihad was fighting a losing battle. He was on the floor and felt his muscles ache.

"You're stubborn aren't you, little boy?" the old man said.

Jihad plunged the dagger into the sands of time, quickly released it and pulled his older sister aside. Leah slapped him; his heart hurts but he pulled her away tightly to make sure she doesn't have contact with the time sand.

The hooded man uncovered himself, a crazy hideous old man.

"Your mother wouldn't die if you did this earlier!" the old man laughed evilly.

The old man disappeared. All the corpses became sand zombies. Farah became a sand zombie herself.

"Mother! No!"

Jihad quickly ran with her older sister without thinking but the sand zombies blocked the exits. Leah shot a sand zombie.

"I'm still angry for what you have done, but we have to think of right now," Leah said.

Together the siblings combined forces to eliminate the sand zombies, including their mother.

_After the battle..._

Leah collapsed on the floor, covered her face and cried.

Jihad tried to put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but Leah slapped his hand away.

"That is not mom—

"Shut up! I know!"

Jihad frowned and looked away.

A brilliant bright sand of light appeared in front of them.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2…_

In the middle of the desert, Scarlet encountered an old man fighting a crowd of heartless. He was skilled but his stamina was starting to run out. The old man was struggling. Scarlet joined the old man, killing a few heartless on the way. The heartless surrounded them.

_After the battle…_

Scarlet reached out and pulled the old man to his feet.

"Not bad lady. What is your name?"

"I am too young to be your type."

The old man laughed, "You have mistaken. I want to see if my son is interested."

"Oh? Then tell him that he wouldn't be able to stand me."

The old man laughed louder.

"Who are you anyway? Why are you here?"

"I am the King of Persia. The King of Akkad sent a message to me to arrive in person to the King of Akkad to discuss the heartless."

_"That's right. The gathering of Kings from countries to form an army against the heartless. But the plan isn't carried out yet since they have to consider the each king's duties."_

Scarlet remembered that she secretly participated in the meeting.

Scarlet pointed her keyblade at the old man.

"How do you know my father's plans?! He hasn't even carried out the order yet! We're still discussing it! Stop Lying! State who you are and state your purpose!"

"You're the Princess of Akkad? That makes things a little easier."

"Answer my question!"

The King of Persia slowly took out the letter. Scarlet snatched it out of his hand.

"Wait a minute. This is not my father's handwriting. Who gave this to you?"

"That messenger looked normal to me and there was a seal. The letter is not your father's? That meant— This is all a trap!" The King of Persia ran.

"Wait. Let me help you!"

Scarlet explained everything that happened in Akkad to the King of Persia during the journey.

"Someone is behind all this," the Persian King said.


	3. Chapter 3

Jihad Controls

[Left Analog Stick CHARACTER MOVEMENT

[Right Analog Stick CAMERA CONTROL

[X JUMP; CLIMB TO LEDGE, BAR, EDGE; VAULT AN ENEMY

While running[Left Analog Stick [X ROLL

[Square SLASH WITH SCIMITAR

Tap [Square SCIMITAR SLASH COMBO

[Circle PUT AWAY SCIMITAR, RELEASE FROM LEDGE, BAR, EDGE

[Triangle JAB WITH TIME DAGGER, FINISH OFF NEAREST WEAKENED ENEMY, FREEZE ENEMY, ABSORB SAND FIELDS

[R1 PULL/PUSH SWITCHES, DRINK WATER, WALL MOVEMENT, GUARD

[R2 1ST PERSON VIEW

[L1 REWIND TIME

[L1 [R1 MEGAFREEZE

[L2 LANDSCAPE VIEW

_Wall Movement:_

([R1 [Left Analog Stick, moving right/left), at a wall WALL DASHING

([R1 [Left Analog Stick, moving up), at a wall WALL CLIMBING/WALL JUMP

_On Screen:_

Health Bar and Sand Bar

The Sand Bar can be refilled by having Jihad absorb sand fields or killing sand zombies.

_Party Member Control:_

Directional Pad Up SWITCH CHARACTER

Directional Pad Left PROTECT LEAH, when surrounded becomes GUARD

[Directional Pad Right FIGHT WISELY, preserve mana if possible

[Directional Pad Down NO MERCY, quickly weaken enemies

Note:

1) Scarlet and Jihad will never fall because of slipping. Whenever they encounter a ledge, edge or bars, they hang there.

2) Players can choose to control either Scarlet only, Jihad only or both, their choice. However, it is recommended to stay with one character for the whole game. At puzzles, the inactive character, the character the player is not controlling does a back up support. He or she will immediately head for a place/switch/mechanism when reachable. If Scarlet dies while player is controlling Jihad, Scarlet will revive herself later. (Don't ask why; the programmer/author/I like it this way. This feature also allows the player to play his or her own style. This also increases chances of player replaying the game again.) If Jihad dies while player is controlling Scarlet, the same applies; Jihad will revive himself later.

3) If either Scarlet or Jihad is drinking water; all of the members of the party regain health depending on how much the drinker drank.

4) It is game over when:

a. Leah dies

b. The character the player is controlling dies.

5) The leveling system is similar to Kingdom Hearts but with a little twist. Defense, Offense and Health Points increase as the characters gain levels. Characters gain levels at the same time. If a character not controlled by the player dies; he or she will not lose exp. He or she will gain exp, and level up as long as the character the player is controlling survives. Am I making this too easy? (I am doing this because according to my gaming experiences, when a character is low level and dies often, it drags down the crew and the fun. People get frustrated.)

_Now Chapter 3…_

The sixteen-year old prince stepped into the sand of light. Visions spurred in his mind. There he is swinging the bars, walking vertically on walls, pass razors and spikes, being surrounded by sand zombies that looked different than before. Finally a mysterious girl holding a scimitar that looks like a key? She can also fly?

The prince finds himself sleeping as usual after stepping into the sand of light.

"Are you alright, Jihad?" his older sister asks him as usual.

"Yep, let's tread on."

There are parts of the ruin where his sibling cannot access. However, she is skinny enough to access tiny cracks or holes anywhere. She can also jump farther and higher than her sibling.

"I'll stay here," she says. The upcoming platform is farther than her record jump. Jihad has to walk to a ledge, bounce from ledges to ledges and avoid razors. Something in the area collapsed after Jihad passed the obstacles.

"There's a crack, I'll use that," Jihad's sibling says.

Later Jihad faced the obstacles in his vision. Leah becomes his guide. Finally they reached a platform and sand zombies appeared. Their bodies are black and they have yellow eyes now. The siblings cooperated to eliminate the new breed of sand zombies but this time they are difficult. Jihad does the finishing move with his dagger.

Jihad was knocked out of the air while trying to vault an enemy. He fell on the ground. The new sand zombies surrounded him. Jihad had no choice but to block. There are no openings and no time to get back on his feet. Leah was already busy with shooting the sand zombies around her.

"The other platform is too far for neither of us to reach it!"

"Forget the platform! Defeat these black sand zombies first!"

A black sand zombie with a giant sword broke his guard. Jihad was sent spinning in midair and fell in pain. Another black sand zombie jabs him; Jihad blocked the jab in time but he knew he was soon to die because of the approaching giant sword. The giant sword, black sand zombie could penetrate his guard again.

"Thundaga!" a female voice echoed in the ruins.

Suddenly all the sand zombies are stroke by high energy bolts of lightning. The mysterious girl in his vision appeared. She floated for a few seconds for her to land softly on the platform and then plunged her keyblade at all the sand zombies. The sand zombies are down.

"What are you doing? Kill them with your dagger! I can't finish them off but you can!"

Some of the sand zombies start to regenerate. Jihad immediately kills some sand zombies before they regenerated. Others regenerated before Jihad could finish them. Leah and the mysterious girl combine forces to let Jihad have the final kill. The sand zombies are dead and the prince puts away his sword and dagger as usual.

"We'll talk later. This place isn't safe.Wait here, there is a switch that connects the platform across from here."

The girl spins across in midair in the direction of the faraway platform and glided to it.

"Did she just fly?" Leah says in amazement.

The mysterious girl pulled down the switch. Another platform from above descended and connected the two platforms.

She answered Leah, "I can't fly but glide. I can't go to places miles higher. Get on the platform."

The descending platform has a water fountain. Leah and Jihad got on the platform and drank the water fountain to replenish their health. The mysterious girl pushed the switch up and quickly jumped to the elevating platform to join them.

"That was amazing. Thanks for helping us earlier. My name is Leah and that is my brother, Jihad."

"I am Scarlet."

"Scarlet, eh. That suits you, alright," Jihad looked at her from toe to head; she is wearing mostly red.

"That's a nice name," Leah says.

"Leah is a nice name too. I have a baby cousin named Leah and she was named that because she looks like a lion cub. Lions are proud animals in my homeland."

The girls continued to talk as the platform elevates. Jihad thought to himself.

_"I was amazed and little envious of someone whose power is greater than mine. Who is she? She did not ask about the dagger of time nor she asked for the possession of it. I did not know, but that doesn't matter now. I know one thing. If it wasn't for her, Leah and I would be dead. I am glad that there is someone other than us that are here. We can use a lot more help."_

The platform reached a new floor and finally outside. There are pillars that are still intact, a roof, a few torches and a pond in the center. There is a sand vortex in the corner and a fountain. The sand zombies appeared again. Leah shot them with her gun. Scarlet rushed at them. She skillfully avoided their jabs and swings. She rolls behind them and knock them out one by one while the prince, Jihad finishes them off with his dagger. There is a contrast between his fighting style and her fighting her style. Jihad likes to vault or wall jump his opponents. Scarlet rolls behind them and put many surprising blows on her enemies.

"Use the finishing move! I'll do the fighting," Scarlet shouted.

Jihad did not listen but still eliminated all the enemies.

"Can we rest here?" Leah says afterwards.

The party set up the campfire.

"I'll stand watch here. Today is my shift since my brother did his shift yesterday."

"Then I'll do the shift tomorrow," Scarlet says.

The party ate the fish in the artificial pond. They talked during their meal.

"The heartless can be eliminated in my homeland, especially with the keyblade. But now they are immortal. But you can finish them off. Why is that?"

"What is 'the heartless'?" Jihad chewed off fish flesh.

"Answer my question first."

Scarlet and Jihad stared at each other. Scarlet was especially serious when staring at Jihad. Leah observed both of them. Scarlet seemed to be ignorant of the dagger of time. Jihad swallowed and looked at his sibling.

"What I say doesn't matter. You're going to do it anyway," Leah says in indifference.

"This is the dagger of time. It can rewind time and change history. It can close the opened time glass that I was forced to open, and undo what I have done. The monsters we fought are formed from the sands of time. The dagger absorbs all the sand and therefore kills them."

"I thought it was a myth; I don't know the dagger of time actually exists. But that doesn't matter, I am not interested in your dagger. I already have a treasure that is more precious and that is the keyblade… So it is the sand that causes them to be immortal."

"So what is 'the heartless'?"

"What you just fought. Creatures with black bodies and yellow eyes that feeds on people's hearts."

"Literally, they dig for your heart and feast on it?"

"Similar but they take your soul."

"That's even creepier than sand zombies," Leah says.

Scarlet finished her meal and stood up, "Leah, I'm going to bathe. Watch my back okay? Jihad, you will suffer my blade if you dare to peek."

"Whatever."

They bathed and turn their backs to whoever was bathing. They talked to pass the time.

Scarlet went to sleep. Leah does the nightshift guard. Jihad entered the sand vortex; visions surged him again.

Jihad sees his sibling unable to cross. Jihad walked vertically among the walls and avoided the razors. Scarlet followed him and glided above the razors. In another area, Leah crawled into a hole. Scarlet glided around the front wall and to the right of another building with a broken side to turn on a switch. Jihad walked vertically among walls and avoided the ground spikes; Scarlet glided next to him. Scarlet soon followed him in jumping from column and swinging on poles. Finally, Jihad was busy fighting and killing sand zombies around him. He omitted the sand zombies his sibling and Scarlet weakened. The sand zombies around Scarlet and Leah kept on reviving, adding the number of sand zombies. The sand zombies surrounded Jihad; Scarlet weakened the one next to her. She then weakened the rest that had their backs toward her and surrounding Jihad. She was too focused to help Jihad that she forgot about the sand zombie she weakened right before helping Jihad. The sand zombie revived and attacked her from behind, thus taking her life. Jihad saw the whole mistake and how he caused his new friend to die.

The next morning, Jihad woke with cold sweat and regret.

_Scarlet, I just knew her. I don't have a deep bond with her but I felt like I am a murderer. She saved us and I killed her. _

"Are you alright, Jihad?" Leah put the back of her hand against Jihad's forehead.

Jihad did not react to his sibling but stared with strong regret at Scarlet.

"Y-y—yes?" Scarlet was surprised by his sudden expression. She backed up in shyness.

"I'm sorry. Let's get going."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

"We have company," Jihad said.

Jihad, Scarlet and Leah each handled several sand zombies. The sand zombies around Jihad's two allies were a problem.

Jihad changed history; he quickly vaulted over an opponent during an opening and went to finish off the sand zombie Scarlet has weakened. Jihad then went to Leah to finish off the zombie she has weakened. A sand zombie tried to attack Jihad from behind but Scarlet thwarted the enemy's plan. She slid before Jihad and knocked it down in a few moments. Scarlet's movements looked as if she used the dagger of time but she didn't. When she slid, her movements were a blur. Jihad plunged the dagger onto the downed enemy. He was happy he had a new dependable comrade that would not let him down. Jihad adapted Scarlet's strategy and continued on.

"Thank you," Scarlet said.

"No problem."

Puzzles, obstacles, security measures from the Persian Kingdom are easier with Scarlet around. Days went by. Sand zombies arrived and died.

Jihad hanged, climbed and walked on the small ledge. Scarlet followed Jihad but in a different style. Jihad back is away from the wall but Scarlet walked with her back against the wall.

"Hey! Scarlet is as acrobatic as you are!" Leah said.

They both concentrated on walking sideways. Scarlet sometimes slip, but she could spin in midair and sprung back to the ledge with her left hand. Scarlet's back is against the wall as usual.

"Impressive. I noticed you are very flexible in midair," Jihad says.

"Thank you."

They landed and reached a platform with swing bars. The swing bars led to an open window.

Jihad swung across while waiting for right moment. Scarlet easily glided to the window.

"Oh, I wish I could fly," Jihad said sarcastically.

They reached an area where swing bars dominate. The swing bars were designed like staircases. The destination is above the swing bars.

Jihad swung on one to another; his flexibility was excellent as usual.

"Why aren't you going, Scarlet?" Leah asked.

"I can't swing on bars."

"Ha, ha," Jihad said.

"When I get there, you will get a beating!" Scarlet yelled at Jihad.

"Try getting here then."

"Ignore my brother, he's a jerk sometimes. Let's find another path."

Scarlet and Leah found a crack. Leah fit right through and went through it. Scarlet found a broken platform with a switch on it. The platform is far away but below her; she could reach it. Among the crew she can get reach the farthest. Scarlet glided to the platform.

"Hey, the door is closed—

The door opened as Scarlet stomped loudly and angrily on the switch.

"I knew that."

Scarlet jumped, spun and glided from place to place to catch up with them.


End file.
